Summary

Prior to the Mac’s launch in 1984, Apple had been losing in sales compared to IBM, who had been selling a great number of computers to corporations. A week before the Mac was supposed to launch, the engineers stated that they needed an extra two weeks for coding purposes, Jobs convinced them that they could finish before the launch, and they did.

When thinking about commercials for the Mac, Jobs stated that he wanted “a thunderclap” (162). Eventually, Apple went with Chiat/Day who then produced the famous 1984 Superbowl Macintosh Superbowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. Initially, the Apple board rejected the advertisement and threatened the sell their commercial slot. They did sell one 30-minute slot, but they left a 60-minute spot untouched. The commercial aired and is now considered one of the greatest commercials of all time.